Syndication Ratings: James Holzhauer-Powered Jeopardy! Jumps Into Lead

With viewers flocking to the record-breaking performance of professional gambler James Holzhauer, CBS Television Distribution's Jeopardy! overturned repeats of CTD's Judge Judy to lead all of syndication in the week ending April 21, the last full week before the May sweep.

Holzhauer shattered his own single-day cash winning record on April 17, taking home $131,137. He then went on to surpass $1 million in total winnings on his 14th appearance on April 23.

Related: James Holzhauer Brings His Jeopardy! Total to More Than $1 Million

As a result, the show rose 5% to a six-week high 6.7 live plus same day household rating, giving Jeopardy! a rare appearance on top of both the games and all of syndication among households.

Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud inched up 2% to take second place among the games at a 6.1. CTD's Wheel of Fortune was flat at a 5.9.

Disney's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire depreciated 6% to a 1.5, while Entertainment Studios' Funny You Should Ask held at a 0.5 for the sixth straight week.

Disney's viral video show RightThisMinute maintained a 1.2.

Judge Judy, which had led all of syndication in households for 40 straight weeks with four ties, was in repeats on all five days and dipped 3% to a 6.5. That was still good enough for second place in overall syndication, however.

Judy and other shows were hurt by preemptions for coverage of the fire at Paris' Notre Dame cathedral and the release of the Mueller report to the public on April 18.

Following Judy's lead, none of the other courts advanced either.

CTD's Hot Bench, in repeats for two days, slipped 9% to a 2.1. Warner Bros.' People's Court and Judge Mathis and Twentieth's Divorce Court all stayed at a 1.5, 1.0 and 0.7, respectively.

CTD's Dr. Phil dipped 4% to a 2.7 to lead the talkers for the 137th straight week with five ties. Among daytime's key demographic of women 25-54, Phil also led with a 1.1.

Disney's Live with Kelly and Ryan remained in second place among the talk shows for the eighth week in a row with a 5% spike to a 2.3. Warner Bros.' Ellen DeGeneres held steady with its prior week's 1.9.

Debmar-Mercury's Wendy Williams rose 7% to a 1.5 for the fourth time in seven weeks to match its season high.

Related: Kevin Hunter Out as Executive Producer of Wendy Williams

NBCU's Maury, Steve and Steve Wilkos; CTD's Rachael Ray; Sony Pictures Television's Dr. Oz and Warner Bros.' The Real all held steady at a 1.3, 1.2, 1.1, 1.0, 1.0 and 0.7, respectively.

CTD's The Doctors came back 20% from a series low set in the prior week to a 0.6. Disney's Pickler & Ben, produced by E. W. Scripps, held at a 0.4 for a 13th consecutive week, tying the syndicated version of NBCU's out-of-production Jerry Springer, which also was stable for the 32nd week in a row.

CTD's rookie Face the Truth, which won't return for a second season, declined 13% to a 0.7, while Debmar-Mercury's renewed freshman court show, Caught in Providence, sank 17% to a 0.5.

Related: Its One and Done for Face the Truth

Magazines were flat to down. CTD's Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition, whose host Deborah Norville returned to the show after surgery on April 15, were both unchanged and tied at a 2.8.

Related: Deborah Norville Returns to Inside Edition After Thyroid Surgery

Warner Bros.' TMZ remained at a 1.3. NBCU's Access eased 8% to a 1.2. Warner Bros.' Extra held steady at a 1.0. CTD's DailyMailTV, renewed for season three, relinquished 10% to a 0.9. Twentieth's PageSixTV, which will stay in originals through the summer and then conclude, stayed at a 0.6. Trifecta's Celebrity Page slid 33% or one-tenth of a ratings point to a 0.3 from a 0.2.

Related: Natalie Morales Exiting Access

NBCU's Dateline declined 7% to a 1.3 but finished first in the true-crime genre for the 32nd straight week. SPT's off-A&E Live PD Police Patrol posted a steady 1.1, while off-investigation Discovery's True Crime Files uncovered a stable 0.3.

NBCU's scripted off-network strip Chicago PD shot up 13% to a 0.9.

Warner Bros.' The Big Bang Theory, nearing its end on CBS, downtick 2% to lead the off-net sitcoms at a 4.3. Twentieth's Last Man Standing stumbled 9% to a 2.1. Twentieth's Modern Family forged ahead 6% to a 1.8. SPT's The Goldbergs gained 7% to a 1.5. Warner Bros.' Two and a Half Men stayed at a 1.4. Twentieth's Family Guy skidded 8% to a 1.2. Warner Bros.' Mike & Molly remained at a 1.1. Disney's Black-ish backed off 9% to a 1.0 tying SPT's steady Seinfeld and Warner Bros.' 2 Broke Girls.

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